OVERVIEW
This page is dedicated to organizing various examples of standardized exam questions whose answer is iron poisoning. While this may seem a odd practice, it is useful to see multiple examples of how iron poisoning will be characterized on standardized exams (namely the boards and the shelf exams). This page is not meant to be used as a tradition question bank (as all of the answers will be the same), however seeing the classic “test” characterization for a disease is quite valuable.
QUESTION EXAMPLES
Question # 1
A 3 year old boy is brought to the hospital after he experiences a few episodes of vomiting over the past few ours. The patient also complains of abodminla pain. While in the clinic the patient vomits and the physician notes that it appears similar to coffee grounds. The patient appears irritable and lethargic. His blood pressure is 80/55 mm Hg and his pulse is 115/min. A physical exam reveals a normal oropharynx and the cardiopulmonary exam is unremarkable. The patients abdomen is soft and there is mild epigastric tenderness. The rest of the exam is non-contributory. Labs are collected and are shown below:
- Hemoglobin: 10.1 g/L
- Leukocyte count: 15,00/mm³
- Bicarbonate: 19 mEq/L
A chest X-ray is alos ordered and is unremarkable other then the presence of radiopaque tablets in the stomach. What might the likely diagnosis be for this patient?
Explanation: radiopaque tablets in the stomach (pre-natal vitamins rich in iron) = iron poisoning
Page Updated: 11.23.2016